Amnesty Scheme: Deadline for surrender of looted, illegal arms extended till March 6

Guwahati: Encouraged by the growing response to the amnesty scheme, Manipur governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Friday announced the extension of the deadline for the surrender of looted and illegal arms and ammunition until 4 pm on March 6. Pointing out that the deadline was extended following demands from both valley and hill areas for additional time, the governor's office, in a statement, said, “Upon the expiry of the seven-day deadline for the voluntary surrender of arms, there have been requests from both the valley and hill areas to extend the period. I have considered these requests and decided to extend the deadline until 4 PM on March 6.” The statement further assured that no punitive action will be taken against those who surrender their weapons within this period, emphasising that "this is the last opportunity for everyone concerned to contribute to peace, communal harmony, the future of our youth and the security of our society." Mr Bhalla had on February 20 urged warring groups to voluntarily surrender weapons robbed from security forces and other illegally held arms within seven days, the deadline of which ended on Thursday.